


The First Christmas

by xannish



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-24
Updated: 2011-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-28 00:42:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/301867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xannish/pseuds/xannish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first year after the team had gotten together, Teddy watched Christmas coming with a sense of growing dread...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The First Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blackwayfarers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackwayfarers/gifts).



> I'd set out to write something completely different, but it turned into utter fluff. Utter HOLIDAY-THEMED fluff. I mean, uh, Character study of Teddy Altman. Right.
> 
> Hope that it at least makes you smile!

The first year after the team had gotten together, Teddy watched Christmas coming with a sense of growing dread. He’d noticed it in October, when Halloween came and passed, and it only grew worse as time went on. Thanksgiving had been fine, he had to admit. Fun, even, if a little awkward, since he’d joined the Kaplans at their overflowing table. It wasn’t even the first time he’d had Thanksgiving at a friend’s—his mom had always encouraged it, actually, wanted him to experience other families. He supposed now he understood why.

But that was it, wasn’t it? His mom. His normal life. They were gone, had never even really existed to begin with. Even though he’d thought he’d mostly gotten over it, the closer Christmas came, the more he thought about it, the more he _remembered_. It was funny, he thought, how it was the _good_ memories that always hurt.

It was Christmas Eve, and in the Altman household, they’d had little rituals. Teddy had been older than he’d like to admit when he had finally stopped believing in Santa Claus… but maybe that was the way it should be. No shock, no disappointment, just… coming to the realization yourself that the one who went to all the work to make your Christmas magical wasn’t some stranger, but someone who loved you personally. And maybe that made it better. So even in his teens, they kept up the charade, at least in little ways. They hung stockings, left cookies and milk. And on Christmas morning, Mrs. Altman had shared in the bounty of “Santa’s” generosity, too. Teddy wondered now if his mom—well, the Skrull who had played his mom—had ever gotten gifts from anyone else. He swallowed tears.

So it was Christmas Eve, and he was alone. It wasn’t that others hadn’t offered—almost everyone had. It was just that those offers were, well, _forced._ Everyone who had family was with them, and Teddy would feel like an outsider. Maybe not among the Kaplans, (Billy’s offer had been the most tempting) but they were also Jewish, and while they’d been nothing but welcoming (sometimes _too_ welcoming), it just wouldn’t be the same. Tommy hadn’t gone home to family—at least, Teddy didn’t think so--but he was also pretty sure that he didn’t want to try to keep up with whatever the speedster thought he was going to get up to on a night like this. It was probably nothing he wanted his name or picture attached to.

He looked at his cell phone, and thought for the hundredth time about calling Billy and taking up his offer after all… but it was a night of Hanukah too, and things might be weird.

The problem was, there wasn’t a lot else to do. There was nothing on television that wasn’t a holiday special, and even if he could find something else for a few minutes, the commercials were full of sleigh bells and smiling faces around crackling fireplaces.

He slumped back onto the couch and stared up at the ceiling. Maybe he should go to bed. It was only nine o’clock, but seriously, what _else_ was he going to do tonight? That was beginning to seem like the only option, when his phone buzzed and lit up with its usual text notification. Teddy pounced on it with embarrassing enthusiasm.

Billy’s name and picture made the rush worth it, with the text message: _Hey, you busy?_

 _no,_ Teddy thumb-typed back, _why would I be? what’s up?_

 _Go check your room._

Teddy grinned. This wasn’t the first time his boyfriend had teleported over after lights out at the Kaplan family home, and the promise of company made going to bed early a much more attractive thought. Maybe _that_ was the solution to distract him from his holiday woes. _ok_ , he typed. _brt._

He coughed and tried to make his footsteps louder as he moved down the hallway toward his bedroom door. It was cold in the hallway, colder than expected, and weirdly, there was a towel jammed under the door. _He_ didn’t remember putting it there. He paused for a moment and looked back down at his phone. Nothing.

He knocked.

Still nothing.

“Billy?” he asked aloud, and cautiously opened the door.

The lights came on, revealing… snow? Snow. Everywhere. At least two inches of it on the floor, and more falling seemingly from the ceiling. A blanket of it lay on his bed and his dresser, and hung heavy on the green boughs of a small pine tree that had _certainly_ not been there the last time he’d come in.

“Ha! You should see the look on your face.” That was Tommy, suddenly perched on the edge of his bed. “Priceless. So, do you like it?”

“I—what… where’s Billy?”

“Right here,” whispered a voice from behind him, and he turned to see his boyfriend standing in the hall, dressed in a little number of red velvet and white fur. “Merry Christmas, handsome.” He stepped close and wrapped his arms around Teddy’s neck.

“You… you didn’t have to do this. Why did you do all of this? It’s absurd!” Teddy insisted, but he was grinning.

“That’s the point. It had to be spectacular or you’d just find excuses to sit around and mope. I had to distract you _somehow_ ”

“But snow? In my room?”

“Tommy’s idea.”

“And I got the tree!” Tommy added.

“Are you taking it back?” Teddy inquired.

“No one will miss it.”

“ _Tommy_ ”

“Yeah, fine. But you’ve gotta admit, it added atmosphere.”

There was a _whumph_ as the window was opened and the tree disappeared outside it, all faster than the eye could see. Only a shower of pine needles and snow lingered.

“Thanks,” Teddy said, pulling his boyfriend close. “It means a lot.”

“You’re _family_ ,” Billy insisted, laying his head against the bigger boy’s chest. “And I love you. I don’t want you to be alone.”

“I love you too,” Teddy whispered, burying his face in Billy’s hair. “But really, uh, what’s the plan for all of this?”

“Right.” Billy pushed away. “First, we clean all of this up. I can move it all down outside, if you can just help me make sure I get everything.”

“And then?”

“And then,” the warlock grinned deviously, “I show you your _real_ present.”

“Is it sex?” Tommy asked from the hallway. “Because if it’s sex, just make sure you’ve got proper protection.”

Teddy groaned.

Billy winced. “Okay. Make that number three. _After_ we get rid of my twin.

Tommy just grinned.


End file.
